Pages:

February 26, 2013

We've all been in Madeira, Portugal the last ten days visiting Tom's
Dad and his wife Conceicao in part to celebrate Tom's 50th birthday. Aside
from the usual grueling eighteen hour journey on three planes to get
there, we had a lovely time. The days flew by.

I met Conceicao
almost thirty years ago on my first visit to Madeira. Back then she
worked in the house in the city for Tom's grandparents and oldest aunt.
What a surprise it was, fourteen years ago, when Tom's dad told the
family that he was going to ask Conceicao to marry him and bring her
back to the states part-time. She was 52 then, had never married, and
was delighted to take his hand.

The language barrier has been hard for her however.

I love Conceicao's warmth, and that she loves to
laugh, and have fun. She is an amazing care-giver to all of us, as well
as an incredible fine delicate embroiderer.

Now 65-years-old,
she and Tom's dad live a simple life out in the country, where they each were
born, high up on a mountainside, overlooking the sea.

Every
morning the bread man comes and Conceicao throws a rope over the
terrace, to which he attaches a bag of delicious fresh rolls.

Tom's wing-dinger of a birthday party.

And nearly every day she ironed a fresh cotton tablecloth to have beneath our delicious meals. I love this.

Like
most Madeirans, they grow vegetables, bananas,
grapes, raise chickens, and best of all- make wine every
September. The wine is made the old fashioned way; by putting the grapes
into a specially made square cement tub at their home and squishing
them with bare feet. I kid you not!

And it's surprisingly good.

And very potent-as are many things in Madeira.

Visually, being there is like being in a dream.

As we were leaving she hugged us all tight and started to cry. In Portuguese she said, "My home has been so full and now it will be so empty."

It brings tears to my eyes again just writing this.

I know what she means. I know the challenge and excitement of preparing for a full house, but also the relief and sadness when it empties.

February 15, 2013

Blogger Angela Gentiles created this video of beautiful older women from around the globe.

It makes me happy.

As I begin a new year for myself I want to tell you how much I love Lines of Beauty. It enriches my life more than you can know.
To always be looking for nuggets of beauty in aging is a lovely thing to concentrate on. It keeps my mind off my failing eyesight and memory for one- but more than anything it makes me grateful, every day,
to have place to share the celebration of growing older.

Plus it keeps me conscious about what is going on in my life. I didn't always use to stop to think about what I have been thinking about. And we women think a lot.

So thank you, my dear readers, for tuning in, inspiring me, and for helping my intention here on Lines of Beauty, and me, continue to grow.

February 10, 2013

I know the diggingThe broken fingernailsThe frantic scratchingHard earth, sharp stonesCan’t stop youKnowing you’re almost thereWhere the answer will lie like a glowing
lightBuried and hidden from sightYou’ll go all the way to ChinaAnd back

You will break your backBreak your shovelsBreak some heartsBefore you will ever findThe broken part of you.You have found the wrong questionAnd can’t put it awayTurning it over and over in your hand

A shiny coin, an illusionThat your mind can’t let go ofWatching it turning, turningHypnotized to the soft seductive messageEtched on the metal“What’s wrong with me?”It’s a fool’s goldYou chase

I know the searchI love your journeyYou will find some answersBut not this truth…You’re perfect

Just the way you’re supposed to beWhy can’t that be enoughWhy can’t you, any of us, come to a place
of peaceA place of restIn that.

February 05, 2013

It's been a crazy week, partly because my ninety-one year mom came down with pneumonia and ended up in the hospital briefly. She is doing much better but boy was it a lesson in how quickly the elderly can lose their strength.

I've been trying to visit her as much as I can, but it hasn't been easy while trying to push back the chaos of life!

At the top of my list of people I would like to invite for dinner is Dr. Christiane Northrup, who dedicated the first half of her life to studying all that can go wrong with the body, and how to fix it, but is devoting her second half of life to illuminating what can go right.

She spends her time these days teaching women how to flourish.

I love this.

Dr. Northrup is the perfect example of how the pieces of our lives come together as we grow older. I like to read stories about how women's lives change course as they age. I guess it's really one of the things I love most about aging, that we all have this ability, especially in more recent generations.

There is always the chance to reinvent ourselves, learn new things, and spread our wings, no matter how old we are. Older people who do this are very interesting to me.

Anyway, I like her suggestions on the above video. I am doing well with her first two pointers but could use improvement on the third. I know that the first thing I do when I am stressed is not breath enough and it's when we need to breath more fully than ever.

Another video I like of Dr. Northrup's is her clip on dealing with difficult people.

Chic at Any Age you are the winner of the give-away! Please email me at louise@linesofbeauty.com and let me know what colors you like and also your mailing address. Congratulations!